1. Technical Field
This device relates to helmets, shoulder pads and neck braces that are used in sports to protect the player from injury inducing impacts.
2. Description of Prior Art
A variety of prior art safety devices are commonly used for football players that include helmets and body pads. While helmets reduce the direct impact to the player""s head, a great deal of attention has been directed to preventing neck and spinal injuries. Typically, such devices include neck pads or cervical collars that stabilize the head and neck from force inducted movement. Many of the injuries involve compression fractures to the cervical region of the spine when the head is forced downwardly during impact.
Prior art devices that have addressed this issue can be seen, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,900,896, 4,338,685, 5,123,408, 5,546,601 and 6,006,368.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,896 a neck brace can be seen having a rigid fixation bar that is secured to the back of the helmet with a pivot pin extending therefrom which is registerable into a socket secured on the shoulder pads of the player.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,685 a cervical collar is illustrated that attaches to the shoulder pad harness to reduce the neck opening and impede helmet movement and thus reduce injuries thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,408 is directed to a sports helmet brace that provides for a compound bar element movably secured to the outer bracket secured to the top of a sports helmet and then extends to a shoulder engagement harness.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,601 a neck and cervical spine protector device is claimed having a helmet base engagement upper portion and depending shoulder pad engagement legs extending therefrom.
A combined helmet and shoulder pad is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,368 wherein a rigid rod extends between an attachment brace on the helmet to a mounting bracket secured to the shoulder pads.
The present invention relates to a sports helmet impact stabilization device that provides a flexible force transfer brace capable of selective fluctuation during use. The device of the invention is secured between the base of the sports helmet and preferably the upper edge portion of the shoulder pad and alternately to the backside of the shoulder pad typically used in the football game environment. A compound pad is formed of foam and plastic in parallel adjoining segments that impart flexibility and load impact resistance along its longitudinal axis. The stabilization device is removably secured to the helmet and the shoulder pads for effective force transfer.